First look at The Avengers: Age of Ultron

We got some set photos from Italy today regarding The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Within these we got a first peek at Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and Ultron (James Spader).

I will admit I wasn't feeling the whole emo, goth thing at first for Scarlet Witch but I have warmed up to it. I still do not like the Quicksilver look, but at least it looks better than the Ramona Flowers lookalike in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Thor 3 announced by Marvel; writers locked down

This hasn't been a major, formal announcement but hiring screenwriters is enough to confirm that a third Thor film is in the works by Marvel. The studio reportedly has hired Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost to pen the script. The pair previously wrote the animated X-Men: Evolution series. Yost also worked on Thor: The Dark World while Kyle moved his way up in the Marvel executive offices and is currently the senior VP of production and development. Chris Hemsworth will also be returning as the God of Thunder.

This comes soon after the Russo brothers began negotiations to return and write the third Captain America film. There are no plot details released for the third installments of either Thor or Captain America, but there is a possibility we might see either of them in 2016 or 2017. Marvel has locked up dates during both years for untitled projects. There are a number of projects that could go to these dates such as Thor 3, Captain America 3, Iron Man 4, a new movie about the Hulk, or it could go to the rumored Doctor Strange project. There are even talks of a Black Panther movie and it is also possible 2017 could be The Avengers 3. Either way, there are a lot of stories being tossed around at Marvel and they have until 2021 to get it all done. I would imagine they'll wrap up the characters we have now before fully moving onto Phase Three characters (like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange), but you never know.

Here is the current timetable of Marvel films coming our way:

2014 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2nd), X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd), Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st)

2015 - The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1st), Fantastic Four (June 19th), Ant-Man (July 17th)

2016 - X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27th), The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (June 10th), Untitled Marvel Project

2017 - Untitled Marvel Project

2018 - The Amazing Spider-Man 4 (May 4th)

Release date confirmed for Star Wars: Episode VII

No official title yet, but we did get something big out of D23 this weekend. We learned the rumor of a summer 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII is indeed true. Previously the time frame was "planned for 2015."

Now... with this we still don't have an exact date. A summer release date gives us a window from June to September. Many are speculating that the release will be right after The Avengers: Age of Ultron which is set for May 1, 2015. The reasoning being that all six previous Star Wars films have been released in May.
Confirming Star Wars for Disney's ridiculously crowded 2015 schedule definitely puts it in a pigeonhole for timing. I highly doubt it will join the July schedule which already contains Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and Independence Day 2. If it doesn't share May with The Avengers, it is possible it could share June with the Disney/Pixar flick Inside Out. In the fall we have Ant-Man and Finding Dory, but both are hitting theaters after summer is technically over. In other words, Disney basically owns 2015.
We also have some Disney projects without official release dates that could be in 2015. These include, but are not limited to, Cinderella and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

My guess will be a late May release date to keep the tradition. Putting it in the later half of the month allows The Avengers to fizzle out a bit and open up some screens for Star Wars to come blazing in. If Disney doesn't pair anything with Inside Out in June, that allows even more time for Star Wars to fizzle before Pirates of the Caribbean comes on July 10th.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron not based off comic arc

Or so Joss Whedon says. Now bear in mind this is the same guy who assured us Iron Man 3 wouldn't have the Iron Patriot, so I take what he says with a grain of salt.

But on with it... Joss Whedon has said that the upcoming Avengers sequel, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, will not be based off the Age of Ultron comic arc where Wolverine and the Invisible Woman are sent into the past to kill Ant-Man so he can't create Ultron. Whedon assured us that they are working on an original interpretation of the origin of Ultron story. He basically also said that people should stop thinking Ant-Man (aka, Henry Pym) will make a cameo in The Avengers 2 as a lead into Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie.

Other than that he mentions that Age of Ultron will feature Hawkeye in a bigger, more important role and we will see him as more than the possessed scapegoat he was in The Avengers. Age of Ultron will also be a more global film in regards to the team not only worrying about the United States but about the fate of Earth and the whole galaxy.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1, 2015 and will be followed by Ant-Man on November 6, 2015.

SDCC: The Avengers 2 gets an official title

Say hello to The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Kevin Feige gave fans more than was expected including the surprise Guardians of the Galaxy panel and now the official title for The Avengers sequel. Feige brought in Joss Whedon to reveal a trailer of quotes for The Avengers that ends with Nick Fury telling Maria Hill that the group would be coming back together, and then the camera pans to reveal Ultron's helmet. After the helmet this showed up:

For those who don't know, here is the basics on Ultron:

He is the creator of the synthezoid, The Vision, who Ultron tries to use as a weapon to destroy The Avengers. Further flashbacks reveal that Dr. Henry Pym (aka, Ant-Man) is the creator of Ultron. However, the robot eventually created his own intelligence and rebelled. He tried to kill Pym and became interested in Janet van Dyne (aka, The Wasp).

The biggest question for most, including me, is with all these bad villains being introduced (like Ultron, The Vision, and Nebula), how exactly does Thanos fit into all of this if he is the main villain? Are they going to make him the one who is controlling all of this? It is also possible that Thanos has been announced but will be saved until The Avengers 3. At this point anything is possible.

It is also been suggested that the Age of Ultron comic arc will be the basis. Click the jump for a summary of that:

Robert Downey Jr. will return for The Avengers 2 & 3

There has been much rumor and speculation around Robert Downey Jr.'s future as Iron Man. People were saying Iron Man 3 was the last time we would see Downey as Tony Stark, others said he had already signed on for more movies, few said that Iron Man was gone for good, etc..

We now have confirmation that Downey will indeed reprise the role of Tony Stark for The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3. Now keep in mind that this is a 2-picture deal and it does not include a commitment to a fourth Iron Man movie. This also pretty much guarantees that Tony Stark will not make an appearance in any other Phase Two or Phase Three movies no matter how small the part. Not unless separate contracts are signed.
Seeing that Robert Downey Jr. has made it public that he doesn't want his career to be centered around Iron Man and that he thinks he would like to retire from the character at 50, I think it's safe to say The Avengers 3 will be the last time we have Downey as Tony Stark. If Marvel continues with these characters past Phase Three he will no doubt be absent.

Loki will not return for The Avengers 2

For all of you Loki fanatics out there you might as well soak in the parts of Thor: The Dark World that he will appear in because it seems they will be his last... at least as far as the movies go.

Joss Whedon has confirmed that Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) will not appear in The Avengers 2. He is quoted as saying,

"First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it’s just a nice word.”

So there we have it. I can respect that Whedon isn't relying on the tricks and humor that has worked in previous movies and wants to give us something new. I also think with the villains they are introducing are badder and a bit beyond the scale of Loki, so he is the least of their worries at this point. 

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch confirmed for Avengers 2

Joss Whedon (The Avengers) has confirmed that the brother-sister team that will be included in The Avengers 2 will indeed be Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

There was a potential legal issue with these characters as they are intertwined with X-Men seeing as they are both mutants and their father is Magneto. The concern was since Fox owns X-Men they could potentially own these characters as well. However, Whedon assured everyone that the characters are available for them to use and they intend to do so.

If you know nothing about Quicksilver or Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver has a power of super speed. Scarlet Witch can cast hexes which can alter probability, alter reality, and chaos magic. The siblings also have several years worth of story arcs so it isn't possible to really predict exactly which arc Whedon is targeting for The Avengers 2. There is also a rumor that Saoirse Ronan is in the running (aka, the prototype) for Scarlet Witch, but that is pretty preliminary.

The Avengers 2 to begin filming in 2014

The Avengers 2 will be filmed in the UK at Pinewood-Shepperton Studios in early 2014 putting pre-production at the end of this year. Thor: The Dark World previously filmed at the same location late last year and are prepping to film Guardians of the Galaxy as well.

We also have a sneak peek at Phase Two which was included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe box set which finally got released.

Joss Whedon shoots down Planet Hulk rumors

Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers, was asked about the rumored "Planet Hulk" story arc involvement for a future Hulk movie. In an interview with IGN this is pretty much what he had to say:

"Well, I'm really not supposed to comment, but no, that's nonsense."

So that pretty much shoots my entire prediction for the future of the Hulk right in the damn foot. Thank you, Joss. I'm going to go cry in a corner now... that is until we find out he was just lying to prevent any spoilers about future story arcs. =^D

Ant-Man confirmed for Marvel Phase 3; Doctor Strange included

Kevin Feige, Marvel's President of Production, has confirmed some early details regarding Marvel Phase Three which will begin after The Avengers 2 in 2015. The first major detail being confirmation of Edgar Wright's Ant-Man project. Feige stated in an interview with MTV that Ant-Man will launch Phase Three on November 6th, 2015.
Also mentioned was the long awaited inclusion of Doctor Strange. There was no real confirmation of exactly where Doctor Strange is going to pop up first, but Feige hinted toward Guardians of the Galaxy so it's possible he may have his first cameo there. He also could show up in The Avengers 2. At this point anything is possible.


And before getting too excited about this news don't forget we still have Phase Two which kicks off this May with Iron Man 3. Following Iron Man we have Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers 2.

Release date for Fantastic Four reboot announced

We might as well just call 2015 the year for superhero movies. It seems like every sequel or major movie is coming out that year. So far we have The Avengers 2, Ant-Man, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Star Wars Episode VII, and the announced Justice League movie. On top of this 21st Century Fox has released an announced date for the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. The release for this potential train wreck is March 6, 2015 and is promptly titled The Fantastic Four.

In addition to the Fantastic Four announcement, Fox also released 3D announcements for their upcoming films. Films to be released in 3D are The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

Thanos confirmed for two Marvel Phase 2 films

If you saw The Avengers you know Thanos appeared in the mid-credits scene. There was a lot of speculation as to where Thanos would show up in future Marvel films. There is now confirmation that Thanos will appear in two Marvel Phase 2 films; Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2.

I assumed/guessed Thanos wouldn't appear sooner than Guardians of the Galaxy and I am happy to see that I was right. People were trying to say he would show up as early as Thor: The Dark World and that was a mistake, imo. Thor already has a lot of villains and introducing a big villain like Thanos that early would have been dumb. 

Guardians of the Galaxy is set to be released on August 1, 2014 and The Avengers 2 is set for May 1, 2015.

The Avengers 2 release date announced

An official release date, which is subject to change, has been released for The Avengers 2. It appears we can expect the anticipated sequel. for May 1, 2015.

This is roughly 3 years away but they had to give enough time for the rest of "Phase 2" which is as follows:
Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)
Thor: The Dark World (November 8 2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)

There are also still rumors swirling around a movie centered around Ant Man directed by Edgar Wright. It is rumored that might have a late 2013 release or an early 2014 release, if it happens at all, but either way The Avengers 2 will be the finale of Phase 2. Guardians of the Galaxy will most definitely be introducing Thanos as a lead into The Avengers 2 so that is going to be bomb.
It was also recently announced that Joss Whedon will be involved with Marvel and The Avengers through 2015 so it's pretty safe to say he will be back to direct The Avengers 2.

The Avengers 2 is officially on

Duh and or hello!

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that there will indeed be a sequel to The Avengers. There is no projected date set for this yet. Iron Man 3 is set for May 2013, Thor 2 for November 2013, and Captain America 2 for April 2014. Maybe we will get The Avengers 2 in the fall of 2014.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/avengers-sequel-officially-39016